Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
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department managers must consider the cost of additional labor needed to make the items
usable. If considerable labor will be expended in reworking the item, it may be more economical
to serve it with fewer changes or to freeze it until it appears again in the menu cycle.
Leftover meats to be frozen should be packaged in moisture-proof and vapor-proof materials
such as freezer wrap, freezer bags, and heavy-duty foil. Plastic or foil containers are suitable
for casseroles, stews, and other semiliquid products that can be thawed in the refrigerator
before reheating. These products should be reheated to at least 165°F to 170°F (74°C to 77°C)
so that all parts of the food reach an internal temperature of 165°F for 15 seconds. Reheating
for hot holding should be done quickly, and the time the food goes from 41°F (5°C) to between
140°F (60°C) and 165°F (74°C) may not exceed 2 hours. After one reheating, leftovers should
be discarded.
Poultry
Most poultry purchased today is ready to cook either fresh chilled or frozen. Many forms of
cooked poultry are also available to food service facilities. The most widely marketed poultry—
broiler-fryer chickens, turkeys, Cornish game hens, ducks, and geese—are all young, tender
birds. For that reason, broiling, frying, and roasting are the preferred preparation methods.
Moist-heat cooking methods offer wide menu variety and appeal, and today’s poultry does not
need long cooking in moisture to yield a tender product.
Poultry must be properly handled during preparation, cooking, holding, and cooling to
prevent contamination that might cause food poisoning. Chilled fresh poultry should be stored
at 28°F to 32°F (–2°C to 0°C) for not more than two or three days. If poultry must be purchased
more than two or three days before service, it should be purchased frozen.
Poultry should always be thawed in the refrigerator. For large birds, this can mean up to
four days. Frozen whole turkeys, ducks, and geese can be thawed more rapidly by placing
them, in their original wrappers, fully submerged under cold running water. Defrosting at
kitchen temperature or in warm water is hazardous because this can promote growth of bacteria
on the surface of the poultry. The body cavity is especially rich in Salmonella bacteria,
which are capable of causing food poisoning. Thawed poultry should be washed inside and out
in cold water, drained, refrigerated, and cooked within 24 hours. Breaded or battered chicken
pieces, either cooked or uncooked, should not be thawed before cooking or reheating. Fully
cooked frozen turkey rolls, frozen diced turkey and chicken, and other similar forms may be
thawed in the refrigerator before use. Knives and cutting boards used to prepare uncooked
poultry should be sanitized before they are used to prepare other food products.
Dry-Heat Methods for Cooking Poultry
There are also dry-heat methods for cooking poultry. These are discussed in the following
subsections.
Roasting
One of the most common methods of preparing poultry uses the dry-heat method of oven
roasting. Turkey can be roasted whole or cut in half or in pieces. The results are similar in all
cases, but the decreased oven space and roasting time required may make the cut forms more
efficient to use. Overcooking white meat can be avoided by roasting the white pieces in a separate
pan and allowing a shorter cooking time. A turkey to be roasted whole should not be
stuffed, and roasting should be done in one continuous period. Raw turkeys can be cooked
from the frozen state or partially thawed and then cooked.
Whole turkeys and chickens should be placed on a rack in a shallow pan and roasted at
325°F (163°C). Low oven temperatures ensure higher yields of edible meat, with better flavor
and succulence. The skin can be brushed with margarine, oil, or shortening. If desired, the body
cavity of whole birds may be seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs. A meat thermometer can